Rolando Villazón

VILLAZÓN VERDI 4779460

His is a mind, and a level of vitality, that apparently can't be contained in just one discipline: it's clear that singing is no longer enough in itself for him . . . Onstage, too, Villazón burns hot and fast, like a candle with multiple flames . . . the temperature of the emotional engagement that bowls out through his singing remains uncooled, and in his recent album of Verdi arias there is no mistaking the all-out passion in the voice. He is a true romantic tenor . . . [his] timbre seems to nail the classic tenor register right on target, and his warmth of expression often makes his performances irresistible. His almost excessive Latin intensity mingles to powerful effect with that darting, questing mind.

Miscellaneous /
Jessica Duchen,
Opera News (New York) / 01. July 2013

Verdi is the perfect match for Villazón's ebullient style: the wracked remorse he brings to "Ciel, Che Feci!" from "Conte di San Bonifacio", is the vocal equivalent of weeping. The Duke's cocky promiscuity is evident in every syllable of Rigoletto's "Questo o Quella" and "La Donna č Mobile".

In these arias and songs . . . he still packs more immediacy of emotion than most other singers. There's a real zing of despair and remorse as a man with blood on his hands . . . He's delightfully madcap in a drinking song. He invests the word 'lei' ('her') with extraordinarily quiet tenderness in a love-soaked aria from "Don Carlo". In short, his communication skills are still second to none . . . You get a great account of Verdi's development as a composer in a whistle-stop 60 minutes. It's a fascinating journey by an artist who . . . has something to say.